I love the boisterous song that the colors of Super Soft Merino sing together, like the refrain that a group of merry hikers might belt out through a snow-covered forest!
And what better way to have some fun with color than to knit up a whole gaggle of hats? Looking at them all together, I imagine a lollipop shop where all the surfaces are white and all the lollipops bob around with their candy bright heads!
On Christmas morning, when all the wrapping paper is off these hats, I love that my whole family will be left with the same happy thoughts as I’m having now. What good cheer and warm feelings to bring to a holiday gathering!
Of course, an added bonus is that nothing’s faster to knit than a hat, and one that knits up at three stitches to the inch is, well, even faster! Purl Soho’s new Super Soft Merino is the perfect yarn to get the job done. Decadently soft, prettily spun, and wonderfully toasty, it is one heck of a beautiful hat yarn! -Whitney
Update
We used this same basic hat pattern, plus some simple duplicate stitch, to make our adorable Monogrammed Hats for Everyone. Like the originals, these are knit up in Super Soft Merino and make a quick, easy, and very thoughtful gift!
Materials
- Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino wool, 87 yards per skein. I used the colors Heirloom White, Oyster Gray, Super Pink, Red Zinnia, Clementine Orange, Yellow Yellow, Extra Green, Desert Sky, Peacock Blue and Timeless Navy. And here’s how much Super Soft Merino each hat requires:
- Baby – about 36 yards
- Toddler – about 47 yards
- Kid – about 58 yards
- Women’s – about 69 yards
- Men’s – about 80 yards
- A US #11, 16-inch circular needle
- A set of US #11 double pointed needles
- A jumbo stitch marker (optional)
Gauge
3 stitches = 1 inch in stockinette stitch
Finished Sizes
Baby (Toddler, Kid, Women’s, Men’s)
- 12 (14, 16, 18, 20) inches in circumference
- 6 (6 3/4, 7 1/2, 8 1/4, 9) inches high
Note
This pattern includes one basic hat pattern (in five sizes), and four different ideas for stripes and color blocks. You can knit any size hat in any color design, or of course, it’s always fun to come up with your own color story!
Basic Hat Pattern
SHOWN ABOVE: Baby hat in Extra Green and Women’s hat in Super Pink.
THE CUFF
Cast 36 (42, 48, 54, 60) stitches onto the circular needles.
Place a marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Round 1: *K3, p3, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Round 1 four (4, 5, 5, 6) more times.
THE BODY
Knit every round until piece measures 4 1/2 (5, 5 1/2, 6, 6 1/2) inches from the cast one edge.
THE CROWN
- Baby: start the crown with Round 9
- Toddler: start with Round 7
- Kid: start with Round 5
- Women’s: start with Round 3
- Men’s: start with Round 1
Round 1: *K8, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (54 stitches)
Round 2: Knit.
Round 3: *K7, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (48 stitches)
Round 4: Knit.
Round 5: *K6, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (42 stitches)
Round 6: Knit.
Round 7: *K5, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (36 stitches)
Round 8: Knit.
Changing to double pointed needles…
Round 9: *K4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (30 stitches)
Round 10: *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)
Round 11: *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (18 stitches)
Round 12: *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (12 stitches)
Round 13: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (6 stitches)
Cut the tail and thread it through the remaining stitches. Weave it into the inside of the hat. Weave in the other ends and you’re done!
One Stripe Hat
SHOWN ABOVE: Baby hat in Heirloom White and Desert Sky; and Kid hat in Oyster Gray and Yellow Yellow.
Following the Basic Hat Pattern (above)…
With Color A, cast on and knit the cuff . Cut Color A.
With Color B, knit to 1/4 inch of crown. Cut Color B.
With Color A, knit 1 round and then knit the crown.
Three Stripes Hat
SHOWN ABOVE: Kid hat in Oyster Gray, Clementine Orange and Red Zinnia; and Men’s hat in Heirloom White, Peacock Blue and Timeless Navy.
Following the Basic Hat Pattern (above)…
With Color A, knit the cuff and the body until piece measures 2 (2 1/4, 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 3) inches from the cast one edge. Cut Color A.
With Color B, continue to knit the body for 2 (2 1/4, 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 3) more inches. Cut Color B.
With Color C, knit 1 round, then knit the crown.
Pinstripe Hat
SHOWN ABOVE: Toddler hat in Heirloom White and Extra Green; and Men’s hat in Heirloom White and Clementine Orange
Following the Basic Hat Pattern (above)…
With Color A, knit the cuff.
*With Color A, knit 2 rounds.
With Color B, knit 1 round.
Repeat from * to end of hat.
Rainbow Stripe Hat
SHOWN ABOVE: Toddler hat in Oyster Gray with Red Zinnia, Clementine Orange, Yellow Yellow, Extra Green and Peacock Blue; Women’s hat in Heirloom White with Red Zinnia, Super Pink, Desert Sky, Peacock Blue and Timeless Navy
Following the Basic Hat Pattern (above)…
With Color A, knit the cuff.
Still with Color A, knit 3 (3, 3, 4, 4) rounds.
With Color B, knit 1 round.
*With Color A, knit 2 (3, 4, 4, 5) rounds.
With Color C, knit 1 round.
Changing colors for each stripe, repeat from * to end of hat.
Here’s where to start the crown shaping for each size hat:
- Baby: Start crown shaping with the Color F (5th) stripe.
- Toddler: After the Color E (4th) stripe, knit 1 round with Color A. Next round, start crown shaping.
- Kid: Start crown shaping with the Color E (4th) stripe
- Women’s: Knit Color E (4th) stripe. Next round, start crown shaping.
- Men’s: After the Color D (3rd) stripe, knit 2 rounds with Color A. Next round, start crown shaping.
Remember to maintain the stripe pattern as you knit the crown!
PRINT
Hi Janet-
The best way to print and save our patterns is to copy and paste just the text and photos you need into a Word or Text doc and save/ print from there.
Thanks for your kind words about the site and good luck with the hats!
Molly
I have a question about any of these Super Soft Merino Hats with a single stripe color change. Are the stripes jogless at the start of each round, or do you see the stripe color change? I tried to do a jogless method, but I don’t really like how it turned out (even after blocking). Do you have any recommendations on a method for knitting a jogless, single stripe? Thank you! Kitty
Hi Kitty,
No, these hats don’t use a technique for jogless striping. I have never found a wholly satisfying jogless method and so always opt for the jog, feeling that it is what it is!
Other tips: You may want to check out our Stripes in the Round Tutorial to make sure you’re properly carrying the yarns up the inside of the hat. It’s right here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2008/03/09/stripes-in-the-round/ And also, if you can’t stand the jog but can’t find a good technique, sometimes the simple solution is blocking. When you block stripes (especially single round stripes) that have a jog you can sometimes shift the stripes into alignment.
Thanks so much for your question and please let us know if you have any others!
Whitney
I love these hats and the yarn! I’m an uber-beginner to knitting, and am confused about how to switch to the double pointed needles. Is it necessary? If so, any suggestions on how to go about it or where I might look to find out? Thank you so much! Katerina
Hi Katerina,
It becomes necessary to switch to the double pointed needles when you’re decreasing stitches at the top of the hat and there become so few that they can’t reach around the circumference of the circular needle. You’ll know it when you see it!
What you’ll do at that point is drop the right hand end of the circular needle and use a double pointed needle to knit the first 1/3 of the stitches, then you’ll drop that needle and use a second double pointed needle to knit the second 1/3 of the stitches, drop that needle and use a third double pointed needle to knit the final 1/3 of the stitches. You should now have all of the stitches on three double pointed needles. Now, use a fourth double pointed needle to knit the stitches off the first needle, use that newly freed needle to knit the stitches off the second needle, and on and on, around and around!
For more in-depth instruction on using double pointed needles, visit our Double Pointed Needle Tutorial here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2008/07/25/double-pointed-needles/
I hope this gets you on the right path! Please let us know if you have any other questions and thanks for this one!
Whitney
love your web site thanks for patterns see you real soon
Did you block all of these hats? Been having issues with HAVING to block or not… scared to! These hats look PERFECT!
Hi Christina-
Yes, these hats were blocked. It’s a great way to get things looking neat and tidy after you’re done knitting! Here’s a blocking tutorial that might be of help! https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2006/11/13/blocking/
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Hi,
Can I use double pointed needles for the whole pattern (not just the last top stitches)? Do I need to change the decreasing increments at all. I assume it’s use 3 dpn and the 4th for knitting. Love the pattern just don’t want to go out and buy circular needles unless I have to. Thanks!
Hi Laura!
You can use double pointed needles for the whole thing without altering the pattern at all, it’s just a little more clunky. I actually knit my first hat entirely on dpns without much problem (many years ago!)
And yes, you use 3 dpns to hold the stitches and the fourth to knit with.
Please let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
I love the hats and wonder what age group are you calling KID? This would help decide on knitting the toddler or the KID. Love all your projects. Sincerely, Ashlee
Hi Ashlee-
The finished measurements are listed under the “Pattern” headline. We find it easier to go by the measurements than age since everyone’s head is a different size! But if you don’t have the head measurement for the child in question I’d say a loose idea would be that up to age 1 is Baby, up to age 3 is toddler, and beyond that is Kid. And when in doubt always knit the larger one!
Thanks for your question!
Molly
Can I do pattern just with circular needles? I don’t know how to knit with dpn. Just mastered circular. Do u have patten for circular if I can’t?
Donna
Hi Donna-
Am afraid you can’t finish these without moving to double pointed needles. DPNs seem a little harder than they actually are and we have a tutorial that might help you out: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2008/07/25/double-pointed-needles/
The only hat that we have that doesn’t use double pointed needles is a baby hat here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2012/12/11/mollys-sketchbook-super-simple-super-soft-merino-baby-hat/ There are some suggestions for adapting it into an adult hat in the comments section if you’d like to give that a try.
Thank you!
Molly
I use magic loop method and can knit up to the very top.
I just got a stash of 4 ply yarn that I want use to make these hats with For a local children’s charity. I like that you have so many sizes listed. The yarn you have listed doesn’the say what #yarn it is and sincenter I am a beginner I am not familiar with this yarn I have quite a bit of this Red Heart 4 ply yarn. Thanks Paula
Hey Paula,
Thank you for the comment! You can absolutely use the Red Heart 4 ply yarn for this project. However that yarn is a thinner gauge than the Super Soft Merino that the hats are designed for. I would recommend holding 2 strands the 4 ply yarn together to achieve the proper gauge. If you hold the yarn single you will have to reconfigure the pattern to the appropriate gauge.
I hope this helps and please don’t hesitate to write us back if you have anymore questions!
Happy Knitting!
Jake
This was my very first hat pattern I tried and I love it! I’ve come a long way since last year and I have a question about these hats: is it possible for me to make some baby sizes to donate my local birth center? I obviously wouldn’t be selling them they would just be gifted to the center. I wanted to check first thank you for your time!!
Hi Katerina-
Yes, you are welcome to donate these! What a lovely idea! Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Hi. I knit the baby size using 2 strands of worsted held together. At 4.5 inches, I began my decrease rows with round 9. I’m now at the bind off row and the hat is only measuring at 5 inches high. Am I missing something? It says it should be 6 inches…thanks!
Hi Alexis,
Thank you for the comment! Did you achieve the same gauge with your yarn choice as we did with the Super Soft Merino? It sounds like you did everything correct so if your gauge is the same then I am not entirely sure what caused your hat to be shorter. If it is too short you can add a knit row in between each increase row to give it a little more height.
I hope this helps and feel free to respond if you have anymore questions!
Happy Knitting!
Jake
Hi Jake,
Thanks for getting back to me. I do have the correct gauge, so I’m not really sure what is happening. Do you mean to add a knit row in between each decrease row (not increase row)? If I do this, what is the best way to undo the rows I have already completed- just tink them stitch by stitch?
Thanks~
Hi Alexis,
Thanks for your response! Yes if you knit 1 row with no decreases in between each decrease row you should add the right amount of height. You can either unknit stitch by stitch or with a piece of scrap yarn and a yarn needle you can weave a safety line by stitching into the stitches in the row your unknitting to. This will secure that row of stitches so you can unravel the hat until that point. You can then put the stitches back on the needles and begin the crown.
I hope this helps and let me know if you have anymore questions!
Happy Knittin!
Jake
I plan on knitting these hats for cancer patients through my church group. I have never used double point needles.before. Can I just use circular needles for.the entire.project?
Hi Linda-
What a lovely idea! You will need to use double points at the end but they aren’t very hard to use! Here is a tutorial: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2008/07/25/double-pointed-needles/
If you have any more questions please let me know!
Best-
Molly
I love this pattern and it seems so easy, but I can’t figure out how to knit the baby size in the round? I’m using my smallest cable, it’s only 12 inches and the 36 stitches don’t reach to both sides for a join. Any suggestions? thank you so much for sharing the pattern and for your time!
Hello, I am looking at buying a few skeins of super soft merino to make some bright winter hats for my kids, nieces and nephews. The only problem is that it is difficult to judge colour combos on-line so I am hoping to have some of your expert advice! I live far from your store unfortunately. So: 1. does the orange go nicely with the pink grapefruit? If not, is there another bright colour that will look nice with pink grapefruit? 2. What would be a nice third colour with the navy and heirloom white? I am looking at the dragonfly or the peacock as possibilities.
With 7 skeins and some mixing and matching I am hoping to make 7 hats – does that sound about right?
Thanks so much!
Hello Pastille,
As long as the hats are child sizes, 7 skeins should be enough for color work and the bodies of the hats.
The Pink Grapefruit is such a sweet and rich color, that I think the bright Clementine Orange might detract from it. I would let that color shine and use Ballet Pink or Heirloom White with it to keep it high contrast and fun! As for the blues, Peacock blue and Timeless Navy are very similar, so I would recommend going with either Dragonfly Blue or even Pistachio Green for that colorway.
Hope this helps! Happy knitting! -Alyson
Are the circumference measurements listed with the hat stretched or unstretched? (Aka, is it the head measurement itself, or the hat as it lies flat?)
Hello, Kelsey!
Thank you for writing in! The circumference measurements listed for the hats are of the hat as it lies flat. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out again. Happy knitting!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
I’m still trying to understand yarn weight.. So does this pattern use ‘worst weight #4’, ‘bulk #5’ or ‘super bulky #6’..
Thanks
Hello, Trina!
Thank you for your question! For this pattern we used our Super Soft Merino which is considered a bulky weight yarn, it gets about 2-3 stitches per inch. Again, thank you for writing in! Happy knitting.
Best wishes,
Kumeko
Hi! I’m wanting to make this hat with a double strand of yarn, so I can achieve a kind of color-fading effect (something akin to the boyfriend cap also listed on this site). If I use the Super Soft Merino listed in the original version of this pattern but use the double-strand, do you have a recommendation about how I should adjust the pattern? Thank you for your help!
hello, Emily!
Thank you so much for writing in! Sorry for the delayed response! You are in luck, we have a hat pattern that uses two strands of the Super Soft Merino, it’s the Snow Day Hat!
Again, thank you for writing in! If you have further questions please let us know!
Hey! Love you site and ALL your patterns!
I’m newbie knitter and I was wondering could I use the magic loop process on this hat?
Thanks again!
Hi Kati,
Thank you for your kind words! You could certainly use the magic loop method for this hat. You will need a needle with a cable that is at least 40 inches long to ensure that you can pinch out enough of the cable on each side to prevent laddering.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I’m in Australia so completely confused as to what ply yarn this pattern is for?
Hello, Gemma!
Thank you so much for writing in! The Super Soft Merino would be considered a 12ply. If you have further questions please let us know!
Best,
Kumeko
I think my last comment got lost…
Wanted some help. Knitting with 12ply on 16inch circular but the toddler and baby pattern does not seem to reach the end of the needles. Never knitted in the round before so wondering if I’m missing something, or perhaps I should of used 14ply? Would it just be easier to knit with DPNs?
Thanks for your advice
Gemma
Hello Gemma,
Thanks for contacting us! I think that a 12-ply, or Aran weight, yarn is too thin for this project. You’ll want to bump up the yarn weight or cast on some more stitches to make a toddler’s hat. I suggest you try knitting the size up from the toddler’s hat. If this doesn’t work, try swatching for circular gauge, counting your stitches per inch and multiplying your stitches per inch by the finished measurement you desire (see pattern for this measurement). I hope this helps and good luck!
How in the wold can you print this without all the comments?
Hi, Jan!
If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the date and tags. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials.
Please let us know if you have further questions!
Best,
Kumeko
Just wondering if anyone has found a good way to knit the pinstripe version joglessly? Thanks in advance!
Hi Sara,
Thanks for writing in! We don’t have a joggless stripe tutorial but there are many tutorials on YouTube that help! Best of luck!
-Adam
Is there a way you guys recommend switching colors for the stripes? It seems if I follow the pattern and do the swap, there’s basically a stitch-width line that goes down the middle where I join.
Hi Sara,
Thanks for the question! This hat was designed for beginner knitters, so there are no special striping techniques involved. However, if you YouTube “joggless stripe”, you’ll find lots of tutorials on how to make your stripe joins invisible. Best of luck!
-Adam
Can this be made on straight needles? I don’t own any circular needles and would rather not spend the extra money at this time.
I want to make chemo caps using this pattern and am excited to get started. Would appreciate your kind (and quick) response!
Thank you very much!
Hi Harlee,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately we can’t customize patterns but I can certainly guide you. The cast on and amount you knit up before the decreases are the same (except done flat). The only difference is the decrease, where you’ll just want to make sure you decrease four times evenly per row. Hope this helps you start!
-Adam
Hi I’ve used Red Heart 4 yarn to knit the child size hat. Since the yarn is thinner than what you have suggested, I have casted on 96 stitches ( double the 48 in your pattern). I need help with the crown. Not sure how many stitches to decrease at a time. Could you please give me some guidance.
Carolynne
Hi Carolyn,
You’ll want to divide your stitches into six sections. This means you’ll knit 14 stitches, k2tog for the first round. For the following decrease rounds you’ll knit 13, 12, 11, 10, etc stitches and then k2tog. It might help to put a marker of a different color than your beginning of round marker after your first decrease so you don’t have to count. You’ll just knit to two stitches before the marker and k2tog. Hope this helps!
-Adam
I have cast on 54 stitches for the women’s size and it seems to be stretching to join them in the 16″circular needle. Have I done something wrong? Last hat I did was 80 stitches for a women’s 20″ size head.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for writing in! The finished circumference of the women’s size is 18 inches so the 16 inch needle should work fine without stretching. Are you getting gauge with the US 11 needles and the Super Soft Merino? It could be that you may need to go up a needle size if your gauge is too tight. For this hat, the gauge should be 3 stitches per inch. If you are getting more stitches per inch, the needle would seem too small.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy